Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

In a known air conditioner, when the operation setting of the air conditioner is changed from a visiting destination or the like by a user using a terminal, another user in an air-conditioned space in which the air conditioner is provided may misunderstand the change as a malfunction of the air conditioner. A sound notification controller (sound notification unit) of an air conditioner is arranged such that, when an operation change instruction is supplied from a terminal different from a remote controller which is an accessory of the air conditioner, the air conditioner notifies by a message that the operation change instruction is supplied from the terminal, in response to the operation change instruction supplied from the terminal.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which operationsetting is changeable based on an operation change instruction suppliedfrom a terminal which is different from a remote controller which is anaccessory of the air conditioner.

BACKGROUND ART

There is a known air conditioner which is arranged such that theoperation setting of the air conditioner is changeable from a visitingdestination or the like by using a terminal such as a mobile phone,which is different from a remote controller which is an accessory of theair conditioner.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

[PTL 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-243249

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

With the air conditioner above, when a user changes the operationsetting of the air conditioner from a visiting destination or the likeby using a terminal, another user in an air-conditioned space in whichthe air conditioner is provided may misunderstand the change as amalfunction of the air conditioner.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner withwhich, when the operation setting of the air conditioner is changed byusing a terminal which is different from a remote controller which is anaccessory of the air conditioner, the change is not misunderstood as amalfunction of the air conditioner.

Solution to Problem

According to the first aspect of the invention, an air conditioner, inwhich operation setting is changeable based on an operation changeinstruction supplied from a terminal different from a remote controllerwhich is an accessory of the air conditioner, includes a soundnotification unit configured to notify predetermined information bysound, the sound notification unit notifying, by a message, that theoperation change instruction is supplied from the terminal, in responseto the operation change instruction supplied from the terminal.

In this air conditioner, because the supply of the operation changeinstruction from the terminal is notified by the message, a user in theair-conditioned space is able to recognize that the operation setting ofthe air conditioner is changed by the terminal. On this account, whenthe operation setting of the air conditioner is changed by the terminalwhich is different from the remote controller, the change is notmisunderstood as a malfunction of the air conditioner.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the air conditioner ofthe first aspect is arranged such that the message includes a content ofthe operation change instruction supplied from the terminal.

In this air conditioner, because the message includes the content of theoperation change instruction, the user in the air-conditioned space isable to recognize the content of the operation change instruction.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the air conditioner ofthe first or second aspect is arranged such that the sound notificationunit outputs the message after outputting first receiving sound.

In this air conditioner, because the message is output after thereceiving sound is output, sudden output of the message from the airconditioner is prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the air conditioner ofthe third aspect is arranged such that the sound notification unit iscapable of outputting second receiving sound in response to theoperation change instruction supplied from the remote controller, andthe second receiving sound is different from the first receiving sound.

In this air conditioner, because the receiving sound output when theoperation setting is changed by the remote controller is different fromthe receiving sound output when the operation setting is changed by theterminal, it is possible to understand, based on the receiving sound,that the operation setting of the air conditioner is changed by theterminal. This further makes it easy to recognize that the operationsetting of the air conditioner is changed by the terminal.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the air conditioner ofany one of the first to fourth aspects is arranged such that the soundnotification unit outputs the message when the operation changeinstruction supplied from the terminal is at least one of an operationstart instruction and an operation stop instruction.

In this air conditioner, because the message is output when at least oneof the operation start instruction and the operation stop instruction issupplied from the terminal, it is possible to recognize that theoperation start or the operation stop, which are often misunderstood asa malfunction by another user in the air-conditioned space, isinstructed by the terminal.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the air conditioner ofany one of the first to fifth aspects further includes furthercomprising a human body detection unit configured to detect a person inan air-conditioned space, the sound notification unit outputting themessage when a person is detected by the human body detection unit.

In this air conditioner, because the output of a message is not carriedout when no user is in the air-conditioned space, power saving isachieved.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

As described above, the following effects are achieved by the presentinvention.

According to the first aspect of the invention, because the supply ofthe operation change instruction from the terminal is notified by themessage, a user in the air-conditioned space is able to recognize thatthe operation setting of the air conditioner is changed by the terminal.On this account, when the operation setting of the air conditioner ischanged by the terminal which is different from the remote controller,the change is not misunderstood ad a malfunction of the air conditioner.

According to the second aspect of the invention, because the messageincludes the content of the operation change instruction, the user inthe air-conditioned space is able to recognize the content of theoperation change instruction.

According to the third aspect of the invention, because the message isoutput after the receiving sound is output, sudden output of the messagefrom the air conditioner is prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, because the receivingsound output when the operation setting is changed by the remotecontroller is different from the receiving sound output when theoperation setting is changed by the terminal, it is possible tounderstand, based on the receiving sound, that the operation setting ofthe air conditioner is changed by the terminal. This further makes iteasy to recognize that the operation setting of the air conditioner ischanged by the terminal.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, because the message isoutput when at least one of the operation start instruction and theoperation stop instruction is supplied from the terminal, it is possibleto recognize that the operation start or the operation stop, which areoften misunderstood as a malfunction by another user in theair-conditioned space, is instructed by the terminal.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, because the output of amessage is not carried out when no user is in the air-conditioned space,power saving is achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an airconditioner of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the air conditioner shown inFIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following will describe an air conditioner 1 according to anembodiment of the present invention.

<Overall Structure of Air Conditioner>

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment isprovided with an indoor unit 2 provided inside a room and an outdoorunit 3 provided outside the room. The air conditioner 1 includes arefrigerant circuit which connects a compressor 10, a four-way valve 11,an outdoor heat exchanger 12, an expansion valve (decompressionstructure) 13, and an indoor heat exchanger 14 with one another. In therefrigerant circuit, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 is connected with adischarge port of the compressor 10 via the four-way valve 11, and theexpansion valve 13 is connected with the outdoor heat exchanger 12. Theexpansion valve 13 is connected with one end of the indoor heatexchanger 14, whereas an inlet port of the compressor 10 is connectedwith the other end of the indoor heat exchanger 14 via the four-wayvalve 11.

The air conditioner 1 can be driven in one of an automatic operation, acooling operation, a heating operation, a dehumidification operation,and a ventilation operation. In the air conditioner 1, operation start,operation switching, or operation stop is performed by selecting one ofthe operations by using a remote controller 4 which is an accessory ofthe air conditioner 1 or by using a terminal 5 held by a user. Theterminal 5 held by the user is, for example, a liquid crystal terminalsuch as a smart phone, and is able to supply operation changeinstructions (operation start, operation stop, indoor temperaturesetting, etc.) to the air conditioner 1 over a network.

In the cooling operation and the dehumidification operation, asindicated by solid arrows in the figure, a cooling cycle or adehumidification cycle is formed such that refrigerant discharged fromthe compressor 10 flows from the four-way valve 11 to the outdoor heatexchanger 12, the expansion valve 13, and the indoor heat exchanger 14in this order, and the refrigerant having passed the indoor heatexchanger 14 returns to the compressor 10 via the four-way valve 11. Inother words, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenserwhereas the indoor heat exchanger 14 functions as an evaporator.

In the meanwhile, in the heating operation, as the four-way valve 11 isswitched, as indicated by broken line arrows in the figure, a heatingcycle is formed such that refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10flows from the four-way valve 11 to the indoor heat exchanger 14, theexpansion valve 13, and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 in this order, andthe refrigerant having passed the outdoor heat exchanger 12 returns tothe compressor 10 via the four-way valve 11. In other words, the indoorheat exchanger 14 functions as a condenser whereas the outdoor heatexchanger 12 functions as an evaporator.

In the indoor unit 2, an indoor fan 16 is provided to oppose the indoorheat exchanger 14. At the outlet port of the indoor unit 2, an up-downflap is provided to change the blowing direction in up-down directions.As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 2 includes a speaker 20 configuredto, for example, notify predetermined information by sound, a display 21(display device) including, for example, LED elements, and a human bodysensor 25 (human body detection unit) configured to detect a person inthe room (an air-conditioned space in which the air conditioner 1 isprovided).

As shown in FIG. 2, a controller 30 of the air conditioner 1 isconnected with the speaker 20, the display 21, the human body sensor 25,and a remote controller 4 which is an accessory of the air conditioner1. The controller 30 of the air conditioner 1 changes the operation ofthe air conditioner 1 based on an operation change instruction suppliedfrom the terminal 5 of the user. The terminal 5 of the user is, forexample, a liquid crystal terminal such as a smart phone, and is able tosupply operation change instructions (operation start, operation stop,indoor temperature setting, etc.) to the air conditioner 1 over anetwork. The controller 30 therefore controls the operation of the airconditioner 1 based on instructions (operation start, operation stop,indoor temperature setting, etc.) from the remote controller 4 or theterminal 5 of the user. A such, in the air conditioner 1 of the presentembodiment, the operation state is changed not only based on theoperation change instructions (operation start, operation stop, indoortemperature setting, etc.) supplied from the remote controller 4 butalso based on the operation change instructions (operation start,operation stop, indoor temperature setting, etc.) supplied from theterminal 5 of the user.

The remote controller 4 is provided with an operation setting section 6(setting unit) by which setting of each function of the air conditioner1 is changed.

By operating this operation setting section 6, the user is able toenable or disable a response notification in response to the operationchange instructions (operation start, operation stop, indoor temperaturesetting, etc.) supplied from the remote controller 4. The responsenotification includes a sound response notification and a displayedresponse notification. The sound response notification includes, forexample, a message notification of notifying, as a message, the contentof an operation change instruction supplied from the remote controller4, and a receiving sound notification of outputting receiving sound suchas “single beep” in response to an operation change instruction suppliedfrom the remote controller 4. As to the message notification (soundresponse notification), when, for example, an operation startinstruction is supplied from the remote controller 4, a message“Operation Starts.” is output from the speaker 20 in response to theoperation start instruction. As to the displayed response notification,the LED elements of the display 21 (display device) are turned on inresponse to the operation change instruction supplied from the remotecontroller 4. The user is allowed to select, by operating the operationsetting section 6 of the remote controller 4, whether to enable each ofthe message notification, the receiving sound notification, and thedisplayed response notification. On this account, when the user feelsthat the message notification, the receiving sound notification, and/orthe displayed response notification is a nuisance, the user is allowedto disable the message notification, the receiving sound notification,and/or the displayed response notification. In this air conditioner 1,when the message notification is enabled whereas the receiving soundnotification is disabled, the receiving sound notification and themessage notification are prohibited, and hence the receiving soundnotification and the message notification are not performed even if theoperation change instruction is supplied from the remote controller 4.

The controller 30 of the air conditioner 1 is formed of plural pieces ofhardware such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The ROM stores a controlprogram for controlling the controller 30 or the like. As shown in FIG.2, the controller 30 includes a notification controller 31 (notificationunit).

This notification controller 31 (notification unit) includes a soundnotification controller 32 (sound notification unit) and a displayednotification controller 33. The sound notification controller 32 is ableto perform a message notification of, for example, notifying the contentof an operation change instruction supplied to the air conditioner 1 asa message and a receiving sound notification of outputting receivingsound such as “single beep” in response to an operation changeinstruction supplied to the air conditioner 1. Furthermore, by thedisplayed notification controller 33, a displayed response notificationof turning on the LED elements of the display 21 can be performed inresponse to an operation change instruction supplied to the airconditioner 1. To begin with, the sound notification controller 32 willbe detailed.

The sound notification controller 32 outputs receiving sound or amessage by the speaker 20. When the receiving sound notification and themessage notification are enabled, as an operation change instruction(operation start, operation stop, indoor temperature setting, etc.) issupplied from the remote controller 4, the sound notification controller32 outputs, for example, receiving sound (second receiving sound) suchas “single beep” or “two beeps” in response to the operation changeinstruction. After outputting the receiving sound (second receivingsound), the sound notification controller 32 notifies, as a message, thecontent of the operation change instruction supplied from the remotecontroller 4. For example, when an operation start instruction issupplied from the remote controller 4, the sound notification controller32 outputs receiving sound (second receiving sound) “single beep”, andthen outputs a message “Operation Starts.”.

In the meanwhile, when the receiving sound notification is enabledwhereas the message notification is disabled, no message is output andonly the receiving sound (second receiving sound) is output when anoperation change instruction is supplied from the remote controller 4.When the receiving sound notification is disabled, no matter whether themessage notification is enabled or disabled, no receiving sound (secondreceiving sound) is output and no message is output even if an operationchange instruction is supplied from the remote controller 4.

In the meanwhile, when an operation change instruction (operation start,operation stop, indoor temperature setting, etc.) is supplied from theterminal 5, the sound notification controller 32 outputs receiving sound(first receiving sound) such as “single beep” or “two beeps” in responseto the operation change instruction. After outputting the receivingsound (first receiving sound), the sound notification controller 32performs the message notification to notify by a message that theoperation change instruction has been supplied from the terminal 5. Anexample of the message notifying that the operation change instructionhas been supplied from the terminal 5 is a message “Operated from SmartPhone.”.

In particular, when the operation change instruction from the terminal 5is an operation start instruction or an operation stop instruction, inresponse to the operation change instruction, the sound notificationcontroller 32 outputs the receiving sound (first receiving sound) suchas “single beep” or “two beeps”, and then notifies, as the messagenotification, that the operation change instruction has been suppliedfrom the terminal 5 and the content of that operation changeinstruction. For example, when the operation start instruction issupplied from the terminal 5, the sound notification controller 32outputs the receiving sound (first receiving sound) “single beep” andthen outputs a message “Operated from Smart Phone. Start Operation.”. Inthis message, the part “Operated from Smart Phone.” is a messageindicating that the operation change instruction has been supplied fromthe terminal 5, whereas the part “Start Operation.” is a messageindicating the content of the operation change instruction. On thisaccount, when the operation change instruction from the terminal 5 iseither the operation start instruction or the operation stopinstruction, the message includes the content of the operation changeinstruction supplied from the terminal 5. When the operation changeinstruction from the terminal 5 is an instruction other than theoperation start instruction and the operation stop instruction (e.g.,indoor temperature setting, indoor moisture setting, wind directionsetting, wind volume setting, or a change in the operation mode such asthe cooling operation and the heating operation), the sound notificationcontroller 32 outputs the receiving sound (first receiving sound) andthen outputs a message to notify that the operation change instructionhas been supplied from the terminal 5, but does not notify the contentof that operation change instruction. For example, when an instructionto change the indoor temperature is supplied from the terminal 5, thesound notification controller 32 outputs the receiving sound (firstreceiving sound) “single beep” and then only outputs the message“Operated from Smart Phone.”.

The receiving sound (first receiving sound) output in response to anoperation change instruction supplied from the terminal 5 is identicalwith the receiving sound (second receiving sound) output in response toan operation change instruction supplied from the remote controller 4.Furthermore, the sound notification controller 32 performs the receivingsound notification and the message notification in response to alloperation change instructions supplied from the terminal 5.

When the displayed response notification is enabled, as an operationchange instruction (operation start, operation stop, indoor temperaturesetting, etc.) is supplied from the remote controller 4, the displayednotification controller 33 performs, for example, the displayed responsenotification of turning on the LED elements of the display 21 for apredetermined time, in response to that operation change instruction. Inthe meanwhile, when the displayed response notification is disabled, thedisplayed notification controller 33 does not turn on the LED elementsof the display 21 even if an operation change instruction is suppliedfrom the remote controller 4. Turning on the LED elements of the display21 encompasses flickering of the LED elements of the display 21.

When an operation change instruction (operation start, operation stop,indoor temperature setting, etc.) is supplied from the terminal 5, thedisplayed notification controller 33 performs, for example, thedisplayed response notification of turning on the LED elements of thedisplay 21 for a predetermined time, in response to that operationchange instruction. In this regard, between the displayed responsenotification performed in response to an operation change instructionsupplied from the terminal 5 and the displayed response notificationperformed in response to an operation change instruction supplied fromthe remote controller 4, the turn-on time, flickering frequency, and thelike are all identical. The displayed notification controller 33performs the displayed response notification in response to alloperation change instructions supplied from the terminal 5.

When the message notification based on an operation change instructionfrom the remote controller 4 is prohibited, the sound notificationcontroller 32 performs the message notification in response to anoperation change instruction supplied from the terminal 5. In otherwords, even if the message notification based on an operation changeinstruction from the remote controller 4 is prohibited, when anoperation change instruction from the terminal 5 is the operation startinstruction or the operation stop instruction, a message is output tonotify that the operation change instruction has been supplied from theterminal 5 and to notify the content of that operation changeinstruction. Furthermore, even if the message notification based on anoperation change instruction from the remote controller 4 is prohibited,a message is output to notify that the operation change instruction hasbeen supplied from the terminal 5, when the operation change instructionfrom the terminal 5 is an instruction other than the operation startinstruction and the operation stop instruction. The cases where themessage notification based on an operation change instruction from theremote controller 4 is prohibited correspond to cases where thereceiving sound notification is disabled or the message notification isdisabled.

When the receiving sound notification based on an operation changeinstruction from the remote controller 4 is prohibited (i.e., thereceiving sound notification is disabled), the sound notificationcontroller 32 performs the receiving sound notification of outputtingthe receiving sound (first receiving sound), when an operation changeinstruction is supplied from the terminal 5 different from the remotecontroller 4. When the displayed response notification based on anoperation change instruction from the remote controller 4 is prohibited(i.e., the displayed response notification is disabled), the displayednotification controller 33 performs the displayed response notificationof turning on the LED elements of the display 21 when an operationchange instruction is supplied from the terminal 5 different from theremote controller 4.

Therefore, in this air conditioner, when, for example, the messagenotification based on an operation change instruction from the remotecontroller 4 is prohibited, if an operation change instruction issupplied from the terminal 5, the supply of the operation changeinstruction from the terminal 5 is notified as a message. On thisaccount, when the user changes the operation setting of the airconditioner 1 by using the terminal 5 from, for example, a visitingdestination, another user in the room can easily understand that theoperation setting of the air conditioner 1 is changed by the terminal 5.Furthermore, in this air conditioner, when, for example, the displayedresponse notification based on an operation change instruction from theremote controller 4 is prohibited, if an operation change instruction issupplied from the terminal 5, the displayed response notification iscarried out. On this account, when the user changes the operationsetting of the air conditioner 1 by using the terminal 5 from, forexample, a visiting destination, another user in the room can easilyunderstand that the operation setting of the air conditioner 1 ischanged by the terminal 5. In the present invention, cases where thesound response notification based on an operation change instructionfrom the remote controller 4 is prohibited correspond to cases where thereceiving sound notification and the message notification based on anoperation change instruction from the remote controller 4 areprohibited.

<Flow>

Now, the operations (flow) of the air conditioner 1 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 3.

To begin with, whether an operation change instruction is supplied fromthe terminal 5 is determined, and this determination is repeated untilan operation change instruction is supplied (S1). When the operationchange instruction is supplied (S1: Yes), the display 21 is turned onand the receiving sound (first receiving sound) is output (S2). Afterthe output of the receiving sound (first receiving sound), the supply ofthe operation change instruction from the terminal 5 is notified by amessage (S3). Subsequently, whether a predetermined time elapses fromthe turning on of the display 21 is determined, and this determinationis repeated until the predetermined time elapses (S4). When thepredetermined time elapses (S5: Yes), the display 21 is turned off. Thenthe process returns to the step S1.

<Characteristics of Air Conditioner of Present Embodiment>

The air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment has the followingcharacteristics.

In the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, because the supplyof an operation change instruction from the terminal 5 (operation start,operation stop, indoor temperature setting, etc.) is notified by amessage, a user in the room (i.e., the air-conditioned space in whichthe air conditioner 1 is provided) is able to recognize that theoperation setting of the air conditioner 1 is changed by the terminal 5.On this account, when the operation setting of the air conditioner 1 ischanged by the terminal 5 which is different from the remote controller4, the change is not misunderstood as a malfunction of the airconditioner 1.

In addition to the above, with the air conditioner 1 of the presentembodiment, because a message includes the content of an operationchange instruction, a user in the room is able to recognize the contentof the operation change instruction.

In addition to the above, with the air conditioner 1 of the presentembodiment, because a message is output after the receiving sound (firstreceiving sound) is output, the message is not suddenly output from theair conditioner 1.

While the embodiment of the present invention has been described, itshould be noted that the scope of the invention is not limited to theabove-described embodiment. The scope of the present invention isdefined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description ofthe embodiment, and the present invention is intended to embrace allalternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope ofthe appended claims.

[First Variation]

Now, an air conditioner according to First Variation will be described.In the embodiment above, the receiving sound (first receiving sound)output in response to an operation change instruction supplied from theterminal 5 is identical with the receiving sound (second receivingsound) output in response to an operation change instruction suppliedfrom the remote controller 4. In this regard, first receiving sound isdifferent from second receiving sound in the air conditioner of FirstVariation. For example, when the first receiving sound is receivingsound of “two beeps”, the second receiving sound is receiving sound of“single beep”.

In the air conditioner of First Variation, because the receiving sound(second receiving sound) output when the operation setting is changed bythe remote controller 4 is different from the receiving sound (firstreceiving sound) output when the operation setting is changed by theterminal 5, it is possible to understand, based on the receiving sound,that the operation setting of the air conditioner is changed by theterminal 5. This further makes it easy to understand that the operationsetting of the air conditioner is changed by the terminal 5.

[Second Variation]

Now, an air conditioner of Second Variation will be described. In theembodiment above, the notification controller 31 outputs a message inresponse to all operation change instructions supplied from the terminal5. In this regard, the air conditioner of Second Variation is arrangedsuch that, a message is output when an operation change instructionsupplied from the terminal 5 is the operation start instruction or theoperation stop instruction, but no message is output when the operationchange instruction is one of the other operation change instructions(e.g., indoor temperature setting, indoor moisture setting, winddirection setting, wind volume setting, or a change in the operationmode such as the cooling operation and the heating operation).

With the air conditioner of Second Variation, because a message isoutput when the operation start instruction or the operation stopinstruction is supplied from the terminal 5, it is possible to recognizethat the operation start or the operation stop, which are oftenmisunderstood as a malfunction by another user in the room, isinstructed by the terminal 5. Furthermore, it is possible to avoidannoying message notification when one of the other operation changeinstructions (e.g., indoor temperature setting, indoor moisture setting,wind direction setting, wind quantity setting, or a change in theoperation mode such as the cooling operation and the heating operation),which are less likely to be misunderstood as a malfunction by a user inthe room, is supplied.

[Third Variation]

Now, an air conditioner of Third Variation will be described. In theembodiment above, no matter whether a person is in the room (theair-conditioned space in which the air conditioner 1 is provided), thenotification controller 31 outputs a message in response to alloperation change instructions supplied from the terminal 5. In thisregard, in the air conditioner of Third Variation, a message is outputin response to an operation change instruction supplied from theterminal 5 when a person is detected by the human body sensor 25, and nomessage is output in response to an operation change instructionsupplied from the terminal 5 when no one is detected by the human bodysensor 25.

Because in the air conditioner of Third Variation the output of amessage is not carried out when no user is in the air-conditioned space,power saving is achieved.

[Other Variations]

In the embodiment above, when an instruction (e.g., indoor temperaturesetting, indoor moisture setting, wind direction setting, wind quantitysetting, or a change in the operation mode such as the cooling operationand the heating operation) other than the operation start instructionand the operation stop instruction is supplied as an operation changeinstruction from the terminal 5, the content of that operation changeinstruction is not notified. Alternatively, the content of the operationchange instruction may be notified as a message. For example, while inthe embodiment above only a message “Operated from Smart Phone.” isoutput when an instruction to change the set temperature of the indoortemperature is supplied from the terminal 5, a message “Operated fromSmart Phone. Change Set Temperature.” including the content of theoperation change instruction may be output.

In addition to the above, while in the embodiment above the notificationcontroller 31 outputs a message in response to all operation changeinstructions supplied from the terminal 5, a message may be output whenan operation change instruction supplied from the terminal 5 is theoperation start instruction or the operation stop instruction as inSecond Variation, a message may be output only when the operation changeinstruction from the terminal 5 is the operation start instruction, or amessage may be output only when the operation change instructionsupplied from the terminal 5 is the operation stop instruction.

In addition to the above, while in the embodiment above a message mayinclude the content of an operation change instruction supplied from theterminal 5, the content of an operation change instruction may not beincluded. As such, when an operation change instruction is supplied fromthe terminal 5, only the supply of the operation change instruction fromthe terminal 5 may be notified by a message (e.g., the message onlynotifies that “Operated from Smart Phone.”).

In addition to the above, while in the embodiment above the receivingsound notification, the message notification, and the displayed responsenotification are carried out when an operation change instruction issupplied from the terminal 5, only the message notification may becarried out. As such, the receiving sound (first receiving sound) maynot be output before the output of a message.

In addition to the above, while in the embodiment above the terminal 5different from the remote controller 4 is able to supply an operationchange instruction to the air conditioner 1 over a network, the terminal5 may be able to supply an operation change instruction to the airconditioner 1 without the intermediary of a network.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

By the present invention, when the operation setting of an airconditioner is changed by using a terminal which is different from aremote controller which is an accessory of the air conditioner, thechange is not misunderstood as a malfunction of the air conditioner.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 AIR CONDITIONER-   4 REMOTE CONTROLLER-   5 TERMINAL-   25 HUMAN BODY SENSOR (HUMAN BODY DETECTION UNIT)-   32 SOUND NOTIFICATION CONTROLLER (SOUND NOTIFICATION UNIT)

1.-6. (canceled)
 7. An air conditioner in which operation setting ischangeable based on an operation change instruction supplied from aterminal different from a remote controller which is an accessory of theair conditioner, comprising a sound notification unit configured tonotify predetermined information by sound, the sound notification unitnotifying, by a message, that the operation change instruction issupplied from the terminal, in response to the operation changeinstruction supplied from the terminal.
 8. The air conditioner accordingto claim 7, wherein, the message includes a content of the operationchange instruction supplied from the terminal.
 9. The air conditioneraccording to claim 7, wherein, the sound notification unit outputs themessage after outputting first receiving sound.
 10. The air conditioneraccording to claim 8, wherein, the sound notification unit outputs themessage after outputting first receiving sound.
 11. The air conditioneraccording to claim 9, wherein, the sound notification unit is capable ofoutputting second receiving sound in response to the operation changeinstruction supplied from the remote controller, and the secondreceiving sound is different from the first receiving sound.
 12. The airconditioner according to claim 10, wherein, the sound notification unitis capable of outputting second receiving sound in response to theoperation change instruction supplied from the remote controller, andthe second receiving sound is different from the first receiving sound.13. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein, the soundnotification unit outputs the message when the operation changeinstruction supplied from the terminal is at least one of an operationstart instruction and an operation stop instruction.
 14. The airconditioner according to claim 8, wherein, the sound notification unitoutputs the message when the operation change instruction supplied fromthe terminal is at least one of an operation start instruction and anoperation stop instruction.
 15. The air conditioner according to claim9, wherein, the sound notification unit outputs the message when theoperation change instruction supplied from the terminal is at least oneof an operation start instruction and an operation stop instruction. 16.The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein, the soundnotification unit outputs the message when the operation changeinstruction supplied from the terminal is at least one of an operationstart instruction and an operation stop instruction.
 17. The airconditioner according to claim 11, wherein, the sound notification unitoutputs the message when the operation change instruction supplied fromthe terminal is at least one of an operation start instruction and anoperation stop instruction.
 18. The air conditioner according to claim12, wherein, the sound notification unit outputs the message when theoperation change instruction supplied from the terminal is at least oneof an operation start instruction and an operation stop instruction. 19.The air conditioner according to claim 7, further comprising a humanbody detection unit configured to detect a person in an air-conditionedspace, the sound notification unit outputting the message when a personis detected by the human body detection unit.
 20. The air conditioneraccording to claim 8, further comprising a human body detection unitconfigured to detect a person in an air-conditioned space, the soundnotification unit outputting the message when a person is detected bythe human body detection unit.
 21. The air conditioner according toclaim 9, further comprising a human body detection unit configured todetect a person in an air-conditioned space, the sound notification unitoutputting the message when a person is detected by the human bodydetection unit.
 22. The air conditioner according to claim 10, furthercomprising a human body detection unit configured to detect a person inan air-conditioned space, the sound notification unit outputting themessage when a person is detected by the human body detection unit.